The strength of the flushing stream in a toilet or a urinal depends on the height difference between the flush box and sanitary ware, the flow resistance of the flushing pipe connecting the flush box to the sanitary ware, and the flow resistance of the sanitary ware. If the flushing stream is too strong, this can lead to splashes of water from the sanitary ware onto the toilet seat and/or onto the floor next to the sanitary ware. In order to prevent splashes of water caused by a flushing stream that is too strong, the flushing stream is reduced as required. For this purpose, various throttle rings having different diameters are traditionally placed in the valve seat of the drain valve to reduce the flow cross section in the valve seat. However, adjusting the flushing stream using the various throttle rings is laborious and inconvenient. In addition, individual throttle rings may become lost, which may then prevent a satisfactory adjustment of the flushing stream.
The object of the invention is to provide a device, by means of which the flushing stream from a sanitary flush box can be adjusted more conveniently and reliably.
This object is achieved by a device having the features as explained herein. Furthermore, this object is achieved by a drain valve and by a sanitary flush box, each having the features as referenced herein. Preferred and advantageous embodiments of the solution according to the invention are referenced herein.
The device according to the invention is characterised in that the throttle, viewed in the flushing stream flow direction, is arranged, or can be arranged, behind the valve seat on or in the drain connection of the drain valve or in a connection piece receiving the drain connection, the throttle comprising at least two throttle elements, one of which can be rotated relative to another of the throttle elements such that, by rotating the rotatable throttle element relative to the other throttle element, the size of the at least one free flow cross section can be changed.
The invention provides the possibility of being able to adjust the flushing stream, i.e. the volume stream of the flushing water, by means of preferably only a single adjustable element. Since various throttle rings having different internal diameters therefore no longer have to be placed in the valve seat, adjusting the flushing stream using the device according to the invention is considerably more convenient than using traditional throttle rings. In addition, the invention provides a cost advantage as only a single throttle is required for different adjustments of the flushing stream owing to the invention. The throttle according to the invention can also be referred to as a flushing stream throttle.
The invention is based on the basic idea that a through-opening in the drain region of the flush box for variably reducing the flushing stream strength does not have to be reduced by means of a plurality of different throttle rings having different internal diameters, but that a single adjustable throttle can also be used for this purpose. The device according to the invention is characterised in particular in that it is easy to implement. It can be implemented without a laborious structural modification to an already present drain valve or an already present flush box. This is because the throttle (flushing stream throttle) according to the invention can easily be combined as an additional part with the drain connection of a flush box drain valve or a connection piece of the flush box receiving the drain connection. The drain connection or connection piece can be combined with the variably adjustable throttle as an additional part, for example, by integrally connecting the throttle to the drain connection or connection piece. However, it is preferably provided that the throttle, or at least one of the throttle elements, can be positively and/or non-positively inserted into the drain connection or into the connection piece receiving the drain connection. This makes it possible to mount and remove the throttle in a simple manner. For example, for this purpose the drain connection of the drain valve or the connection piece receiving the drain connection may have a support, preferably an annular groove, for positively connecting the throttle.
A further advantageous embodiment of the device according to the invention is characterised in that the throttle elements are disc-shaped and have web-shaped portions, which define at least two free flow cross sections and taper towards the rotational axis of the rotatable throttle element. On account of this embodiment, the throttle can be combined highly effectively with the connection shape of proven drain valves and sanitary flush boxes. A relatively wide adjustment range for a variable cross section reduction can be implemented by the tapering of the web-shaped portions of the disc-shaped throttle element towards the rotational axis when there is a predetermined internal cross-sectional area of the drain connection or connection piece. The disc-shaped throttle element may have two, three, four or even more web-shaped portions here and therefore correspondingly define many free flow cross sections.
The free flow cross sections delimited by the web-shaped portions of the particular throttle element preferably substantially correspond to a sector of a circle, i.e. the particular free flow cross section is preferably delimited by two concentric, radially spaced apart circle arcs having different arc lengths and by two circle radii.
The web-shaped portions of the particular throttle element may also be referred to as spokes or circle-sector-shaped spokes.
The area size of the particular web-shaped portion is preferably significantly smaller than the area size of the free flow cross section delimited by two of these web-shaped portions of the particular throttle element. This ensures that, even when the throttle elements are maximally rotated with respect to one another to reduce the free flow cross section such that the web-shaped portions of the throttle elements no longer overlap, a free but reduced flow cross section nevertheless still remains. For example, the maximum area size of the free flow cross section delimited by two of the web-shaped portions of the particular throttle element is at least double, preferably more than double, the area size of the particular web-shaped portion.
According to a further advantageous embodiment of the device according to the invention, the web-shaped portions of at least one of the throttle elements are interconnected by an annular portion of the throttle element. This embodiment improves the stability of the particular throttle element. In particular, a particularly reliable connection of the throttle to the drain connection or connection piece can thereby be achieved.
The adjustability of the throttle (flushing stream throttle) according to the invention and therefore the variable cross-sectional reduction in the drain region of the valve seat can be implemented in various embodiments. One embodiment consists, for example, in that the effective size of the at least one free flow cross section can be changed by rotating the rotatable throttle element in steps, in particular latching steps. In this embodiment, the effective size of the at least one free flow cross section can be very conveniently adjusted depending on a specific sanitary ware model and/or a specific height difference between the flush box and sanitary ware. This is because the installer can be provided, for example, with a table in which various sanitary ware models and/or various values are given with respect to the height difference between the flush box and sanitary ware, specific adjustments or latching steps of the flushing stream throttle being assigned to the various sanitary ware models and/or height differences. The installer can then ascertain from the table the adjustment or latching step suitable for the sanitary ware model or height difference in question and accordingly suitably adjust the effective size of the at least one free flow cross section by means of the rotatable throttle element.
A preferred embodiment of the invention provides that latching elements, which secure the adjusted position of the rotatable throttle element relative to the other throttle element and therefore prevent unintentional rotation of the throttle element in the mounted state of the throttle, are formed on the mutually facing end edges of the throttle elements.
An alternative embodiment of the invention is characterised in that the effective size of the at least one free flow cross section can be continuously changed by rotating the rotatable throttle element. This embodiment provides the advantage that the strength of the flushing stream can be very finely changed and thus optimally adjusted.
According to a further advantageous embodiment of the device according to the invention, at least one of the throttle elements is provided with a handle, preferably a rod-shaped handle. The handle is used as a mounting aid for inserting the throttle into the drain connection of the drain valve or into the connection piece of the flush box receiving the drain connection. The handle can preferably be detachably connectable to the throttle element, and so once the throttle has been inserted into the drain connection of the drain valve or into the connection piece of the flush box, said handle can be separated from the throttle. The detachable connection of the handle to the particular throttle element may, for example, be configured as a frictional plug-in connection, bayonet connection or threaded connection.
The rod-shaped handle may, in particular, be bar-shaped or tubular. The frictional plug-in connection is a clamp connection in which the throttle element that can be detachably connected to the handle has a clamp receiving portion (clamp support) for the bar-shaped or tubular handle.
A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterised in that the rotatable throttle element is clipped to the other throttle element. For this purpose, the rotatable throttle element, at its annular portion connecting the web-shaped portions, for example has radially inwardly projecting regions, on which radially outwardly projecting latching lugs are formed, each of the latching lugs engaging behind a radially inwardly projecting shoulder, which is formed on the inside of the annular portion of the other throttle element.
As already mentioned above, the object of the invention is also achieved by a drain valve having the features as referenced herein.
The drain valve according to the invention for a sanitary flush box, in particular a toilet flush box, comprises a valve mounting, a valve member that has a sealing surface or seal and is movably mounted in the valve mounting, a drain connection, a valve seat formed on the drain connection, the sealing surface or seal resting on the valve seat in the closed state of the drain valve and, in the open state of the drain valve, freeing an outlet opening delimited by the drain connection, and a throttle, which defines at least one free flow cross section. According to the invention, the throttle, viewed in the flushing stream flow direction, is arranged behind the valve seat on or in the drain connection of the drain valve. The throttle comprises at least two throttle elements, one of which can be rotated relative to another of the throttle elements such that, by rotating the rotatable throttle element relative to the other throttle element, the size of the at least one free flow cross section can be changed.
The drain valve according to the invention makes it possible to adjust the flushing stream by means of a single, variably adjustable throttle.
The throttle of the drain valve according to the invention is preferably mounted within the drain connection of the drain valve. The flushing stream can be adjusted very conveniently and independently of a connection piece of the flush box receiving the drain connection on account of an embodiment of this type. In this case, the installer can ascertain the effective size of the at least one free flow cross section, delimited by the throttle, with the aid of the previously specified table, and adjust this size before the drain valve is installed in the sanitary flush box. Likewise, this size can also be changed or optimised after testing the flushing process and removing the drain valve from the flush box by readjusting the throttle if necessary.
From a structural and functional point of view, it is favourable if at least one of the throttle elements can be positively and/or non-positively inserted into the drain connection of the drain valve. In particular, it is favourable if, according to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the drain connection of the drain valve has a support, preferably an annular groove, for positively connecting the throttle. This makes it possible to mount the throttle in a simple manner by pushing or clipping it into the connection piece.
Furthermore, the object of the invention is also achieved by a sanitary flush box, in particular the toilet flush box referenced herein.
The flush box according to the invention, in particular toilet flush box, has a connection piece, into which a drain connection of a drain valve can be inserted, the drain valve comprising a valve mounting, a valve member that has a sealing surface or seal and is movably mounted in the valve support, and a valve seat formed on the drain connection, the sealing surface or seal resting on the valve seat in the closed state of the drain valve and, in the open state of the drain valve, freeing an outlet opening delimited by the drain connection, and said flush box comprising a throttle, which defines at least one free flow cross section. According to the invention, the throttle in this solution, viewed in the flushing stream flow direction, is arranged behind the valve seat in the connection piece of the flush box receiving the drain connection, the throttle comprising at least two throttle elements, one of which can be rotated relative to another of the throttle elements such that, by rotating the rotatable throttle element relative to the other throttle element, the size of the at least one free flow cross section can be changed. Thus, a sanitary flush box is provided in which the flushing stream can be variably and conveniently adjusted by means of a single adjustable throttle.
From a structural and functional point of view, it is favourable if at least one of the throttle elements can be positively and/or non-positively inserted into the connection piece of the flush box. It is also favourable if, according to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the connection piece of the flush box has a support, preferably an annular groove, for positively connecting the throttle. This makes it possible to mount the throttle in a simple manner by pushing or clipping it into the connection piece. The flushing stream can be adjusted very conveniently and independently of the drain valve of the flush box on account of an embodiment of this type. The installer can in turn ascertain the effective size of the at least one free flow cross section, delimited by the throttle, with the aid of the previously specified table, and adjust this size both before and after the drain valve has been installed in the sanitary flush box.